Playhouse constructor set



May 17, 1955 H. A, MQKEE PLAYHOUSE CONSTRUCTOR SET 4 Sheets-Sheet lFiled May l5, 1952 mms May 17, 1955 H. A. MGKEE 2,708,329

v PLAYHOUSE CONSTRUCTOR SET Filed May 15, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 lan May17, 1955 H. A. MCKEE PLAYHoUsE coNsTRUcToR SET 4 shees-sheet s Filed lay15, 1952 May 17, 1955 H. A. MCKEE PLAYHOUSE CONSTRUCTOR SET 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May l5, 1952 El. M M| Fatenteti May l?, 'i955 fficePLAYHOUSE CONSTRUCTOR SET Harry Allen McKee, Madison, N. J.

Application May 15, 1952, Serial No. 287,954

1 Claim. (Cl. 46-31) The invention relates to amusement and educationaldevices for children and has particular reference to constructor setsfor the building of knockdown playhouses and other toy structures.

I am aware that prior to my present invention others have invented toybuilding constructor sets comprising mated pairs of plate-like unitsadapted for interlocking engagement in tongue and groove manner somewhatsimilar to the principle of my invention, but all of the knownconstructor sets in this category are too complicated for use by veryyoung children such as would be small enough to play inside the housesor other structures which they build.

it is the primary object of my invention to provide a constructor setmade up of mated interlockable units of improved construction which ttogether in such a simplified manner that a four years old child canlearn to assemble them with a minimum of instruction.

Although it is intended that the mode of assembly of the improved matedunits of the set shall be so simple as to he practically self-evident toa very young child, the building process should be subject to variationso that there will be room for discretion and the exercise of ingenuity.l have provided for this by making the respective units capable ofassembly in different angular relations and by covering their exposed atfaces with pictorial representation of various types of buildingmaterial, such as brick, stone, logs, etc., or with typical wallpaperdesigns of a decorative nature which conform to the pattern of anoverall composite design. For example, faces which should be on theoutside of a playhouse will bear a building material design and theopposite faces will have a wallpapered appearance. ln this way, adiscerning child will be given the opportunity to discover the propersides to face outward and inward and also the proper angular relation inwhich tr e adjoining units must be arranged to complete the intendedoverall design for the exterior and interior walls. By supplementingeach constructor set with a booklet of sample building structures andwall designs to be copied, the educational possibilities may be expandedindefinitely.

A further object is to provide mated male and female constructor unitswhose interlockable connector means are of such construction that theunits will be guided into precisely fitted engagement with each otheronce they have been roughly aligned.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more fully understood from the following descriptionwhen considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a playhouse under construction with useof the improved constructor units; Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryside elevationof the same; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the partiallyconstructed roof; Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a corner of wall androof; Fig. 5 is a similar view taken through a horizon-v tally adjoiningvertical row of constructor units; Fig. 6

is a front elevation of the door which is to occupy the door openingshown in Fig. l; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the maleunits used because of its outer surface design in construction of thebottom wall row to represent footing stone.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of a curved wall or enclosure in whichconnector tabs of the male units in the bottom row are bent laterally toprovide a footing for the wall; and, Fig. 9 is a vertical section online 9 9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a detail plan view of the rudimentary form of femaleconstructor unit; Fig. ll is an edgewise elevation of the same; and Fig.l2 is an exploded perspective view of the three laminae of which thefemale unit is composed.

Fig. 13 is a detail plan view of the rudimentary form of maleconstructor unit; and Fig. i4 is an edgewise elevation of the same.

Fig. l5 is a plan View of united male and female units; and Fig. 16 isan edgewise elevation thereof.V

Fig. 17 is a plan view of a female unit when united with contiguouslyarranged male units on all four sides, the latter being broken away andthe female unit being shown with the outer lamina on its exposed sideremoved.

Fig. 18 is a detail plan view of a male constructor unit which bears aoral wallpaper design on one flat face; Fig. 19 is a similar view of acooperative female unit having the same design; Fig. 2O is a plan Viewof a male unit and two female units bearing the same design united in anarrangement wherein corresponding axes of the several unit designs areall parallel; and Fig. 2l is a similar view of six units united in anarrangement wherein the corresponding axes of adjacent unit designs areperpendicular to each other.

Fig. 22 is a detail plan view of a male constructor unit which bears abrick wall design on its flat face; Fig. 23 is a similar view of afemale unit having the same design; and, Fig. 24 is a similar view ofthe mated units when assembled with the corresponding axes of theirrespective designs parallel in conformity to the usual appearance of thewall of a brick house.

Fig. 25 is a plan view of two female units and one male unit assembledtogether, showing all unitsl as bearing a log design and arranged withtheir correspond? ing design axes parallel in usual representation ofthe wall of a log house.

Fig. 26 is a plan view of male and female constructor units in assembledrelation, wherein the design is intended to represent a wall border forthe interior of a room.

Fig. 27 is a fragmentary plan view of a male constructor unit engagedwith a female unit having a modified form of separator means for theouter laminae.

Fig. 28 is a similar view of four male constructor units engaged with afemal unit having still further modified separator means for its outerlaminae; and Fig. 29 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional View of themodied structure shown in Fig. 28.

Fig. 3G is a fragmentary plan View of interlocked male and femaleconstructor units, wherein various form and size relations arediagrammatically revealed.

Fig. 3l is a plan View, partly broken away, of two male units ofmodified form engaged with a female unit similar to that shown in Figs.28 and 29; and Fig. 32 is an edge elevation of the female unit.

Fig. 33 is a plan view, partly broken away, of interlocked male andfemale units of another modified form; and Fig. 34 is an edge elevationof the female unit.

Fig. 35 is a plan View, partly broken away, of interlocked male andfemale units wherein the male unit is Y modified further but the femaleunit is the same as in Figs.

33 and 34. 1

Fig. 36 is a similar view o f interlocked male and female Fig. 40 is aplan view of a star-shaped female unit;

and Fig. 41 is an edge elevation of the same.

Fig. 42 is a plan view of the star-shaped female unit when combined ininterlocked relation with male and female units of the preferred form.

Fig. `43 is a similar view showing male and femalev units. l

of the preferred form combined in interlocked relation with two femaleunits of circular shape.

Fig. 44 is a front elevation of a string puppet stage 1n theconstruction of which female units of different ex ternal form are usedto create an ornamental design.

Fig. 45'is a perspective view of a tower building constructed withVunits of the preferred form.

Fig. 46 is a similar view of a boatv structure.

Fig. 47 is a similar view of a wall structure havmg an offset therein.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts in the several views, Figs. l to 6,inclusive, illustrate the manner in which the constructor units of thiskinvention are used in building a playhouse. Then, in Figs. 8 and 9, themanner of construction of a curved wall or other enclosure is shown.Again, in Figs. 44, 45, 46 and 48 there are illustrated, respectively, astring puppet stage, a tower building, a boat structure, and a wallwithv offset portion,

all constructed by use of theimproved constructor units.

These illustrative examples are cited to give an idea as to theladaptability of the mated units to employment in making various types oftoy structures for the amusement and education of children, Obviously,all sorts of structures can be made, such as play stores, railroadstations, circus arenas, animal cages, etc. For those structures whichare to be occupied by the children who build them, such as playhouses,the constructor units should be of rather large size. On the other hand,very small units may be manufactured for use in building miniaturedepots, bridges, tunnels and other structures for model railroads.

Turning now to Figs. l0 to l7, inclusive, and Fig. 30 in particular, itwill be observed that a complete set of constructor units is composed ofmultiples of only two distinct typesof unit, viz: male and female inrespect to the mechanical, manner of joinder, wherein connector tabs ofthe former fit grooves or recesses of the latter.

Each female unit F of the rudimentary embodiment of the invention (Figs.l0, ll and l2) is inthe formof'a llat square plate, which may-be aboutten inches square whenv intended for construction of playhouses like theone shownV in Figs. l to 6. This-unit preferably islaminar in structureto simplifyftheprocess7^ offabrication. As shown particularly in 1Fig.l2, a small, preferably square separator.. lamina Sii' is interposedbetween two larger square laminate-31 and 3?.. Vvhen these three laminaeare placed tightly together and securely united, asby use of.A glue,stapling` orother suitable-means, all should be concentrically arrangedwith straight marginal edges parallel, as shown in broken lines in Fig.l0 and in solid linesin Fig. ll. Each male-unit M of the rudimentaryembodiment (Figs.A l3 and 14) is eight-sided in marginal configurationand substantially equal in thickness to the-separator lamina ofthefemale unit.- lf therershould beany reason for variation in thethickness ofV thezseveral laminae of the female unit, the

male unit for5cooperatiye,associationtherewith should beno thickerthanthe innerY separator lamina 30* in .order thatgsuitableconnectorfportions ofthe male unit-,may t theiry corresponding betweenthe outer laminae 31 and 32 of the female unit with suicientsnugness toinsure considerable frictional resistance to accidental disengagement.

While the eight-sided male unit M may have the shape of a regularOctagon with equal sides and angles, the irregular eight-sided figureshown is preferred because deeper penetration of the groove in thefemale unit F and consequent increased area of frictional contactbetween the connector tabs ofthe male unit and groove walls of thefemale unit will be afforded. Y

The fundamental geometrical form and size relations commento the severalembodiments of my invention disclosed herein may-v be explained ingreater detail by reference at this timeto Fig. 3,0: Therein,eight-sided figure ABCDEGH (in solid lines) is the outline of a maleconstructor unit M and large square figure JKLN is the outline of amated female unit F. Small square figure DEOP outlines separator lamina30 of female unit F, one edge face DE of which serves aspenetration-depth determining abutment front for liat abutting contactwith'edge face DE ofmale unit M.

By circumscribing male unit M with a square QRST in superimposedrelation to long sides AB, CD, EG and Hl thereof, and by inscribing asquare LNUV whose corners bisect the said long sides of said male unit,certain important geometric relations of the male unit to the femaleunit become apparent, viz: (l) diagonal QS of the circumscribed squareof male unit M is disposed at right angles to the abutted edge face DE'of separator lamina "it 3i! of female unit F with corner S coincidentwith the center oi' said lamina; (2) sides RS and ST of thecircumscribed square of said male unit coincide respectively withdiagonals KN and J L of said female unit; (3) trapezoidal portions DELN,LGHV, VIAU and BCNU of each maleunitprovide connector tabs 33 forengagement within adjacently located groove segments of four femaleunits toV be mated therewith;V and (4) inscribed square LNUV exactlymatches the outline JKLN of the femalevunit and squarely adjoins thesame on line LN.

It willV be observed that depth of penetration x of connector tab 33bears a definite ratio to the radial distance y of edge face DE ofseparator lamina 30 from the center ofthe latter, the sum of distances xand y being z, which distance z represents a desirable maximumpenetration to be sought whenever practicable in the interest ofrigidity of structure and highfrictionalV resistance to accidentalseparation. By comparison, if the marginal outline of male unit M werechanged to the regular Octagon ligure nbcdeghi (Fig. 3Q) and theseparator lamina 30 offemale unit Fwere correspondingly enlarged 'to theoutlinegure deop, it should be clearly apparent that the ratio x, to yis undesirably changed so far as rigidity and frictional contact areconcerned: However,- it may be desirable to reduce the frictionalresistance in somev instances, as when the constructor*unitsk areintended' to be used by very Smallv children who. might be deterredbyexcessive frictionrfromproperly uniting the respective male and femaleunits or from dismantling the` structures which may be built.

For convenience ofreference, each` ofthe four straight edges of'separator lamina 30 of the female unit F (Figs. 30, 33 and 34) whichconstitutes a penetration-depth de-y termining abutment front will betermed a` butt front.

This term will be understood to.V include either a5 con; tinuous fiatsurface, ora straight front made up of spaced ilat surfaces lying in thesame plane (Figs. 36 and 37), or

a front constitutedV by a straight line tangential to Vone ork morecircular-separator means 3i) (Figs. 27, 3l and`32).

Similarly, the face o1' combined faces of each connector.

which are adapted to iiatly abut the contiguous side edges of adjoiningconnector tabs of other male units when united with a female unit andserve in the assembly process as converging guide means, will be termedlateral abutment faces.

Now, when four male units M of rudimentary form have been assembled witha single female unit F of rudimentary form in the manner shown in Fig.17, there will be perfect abutment between all meeting edges. Figs. l, 2and 3 in particular reveal the fact that the exposed faces of all maleunits in a wall or roof will be square and equal in area to the exposedfaces of all female units. The overall design thus will be a lot ofabutting squares with the male ones indented in the manner of panelswhich will give an unnatural checkerboard effect unless the monotony berelieved by the addition of superimposed eye-catching designs moreappropriate to the exposed surfaces of a building structure. A simpleand realistic way to relieve that monotony is depicted in Figs. 1 and 2,

in which male and female units bearing a pebbled design on theirexterior faces are included in the complete constructor set for use inthe base or footing stone horizontal row. To give the playhouse an evenmore realistic appearance, the male and female units for the roof aredesigned to look like shingles, as shown in Fig. 3.

Figs. 18 and 19 show male and female units, respectively, which have afioral wallpaper design on those faces which are to be interiorlylocated. The design on each unit has two distinct orientation axes to betaken into consideration when matching unit designs together in theconstruction of an interior wall or ceiling, as in either of thedistinct overall designs shown in Figs. 2O and 21, respectively. Eitherof these overall designs is obtainable by appropriate relative angulararrangement of the respective male and female units, because the maleunits lit the female units equally well when rotated in any directionthrough an angle of ninety degrees. Concerning the arrangement in Fig.21, it will be observed that corresponding design axes of adjoiningunits are rotated ninety degrees to afford an alternating orientationeffect.

Figs. 22 and 23 disclose a brickwork design for exterior surfaces of themated male and female units. To carry through with the brick houseeffect, the corresponding design axes should be arranged in parallelismso that the bricks will all appear in horizontal rows as shown in Fig.24.

Fig. 25 represents the properly oriented assembly of one male and twofemale units bearing a log design on their exterior faces when buildinga log cabin.

In Fig. 26 there is shown a segment of an interior wall corner showing adecorative border effect for rooms which is made possible by including anumber of male and female units having the design represented in thisfigure of drawing. A similar border effect, or trim, may be applied toconstructor units which are to surround window or door openings.

The respective constructor units in a set may be made of any suitablematerial. One which is cheap, light in weight, and easy to manipulate iscorrugated cardboard. This material can be procured in suitablethickness and is especially desirable because of its adaptability toeasy bending on straight lines. When making changes in direction of awall, it is necessary to bend the connector tabs of all male unitsbordering on the corner to be made in the structure, as indicatedclearly in Figs. 4 and 5. Therefore, it is my practice to score theconnector tabs of the male units along the broken lines in Fig. 13,especially when material less easy to bend than corrugated board is usedin their manufacture. Like corrugated board, sheet metal is easily bentas required in the progress of construction, but plastic material, whichotherwise is highly desirable, must be bent while in a heated stateduring manufacture of the male constructor units, so there should beinclusion in each set of a sufficient number of corner male units withpermanently bent connector tabs. Fig. 7 shows such a corner unit, whichactually has oppositely bent tabs for a special situation in which awall changes direction oppositely within the span of one constructorunit, as shown in Fig. 47.

In Fig. 1, the mode of removing surplus and unsightly connector tabs inwall openings, is depicted. They may be torn od along the scored linesas shown, or in a constructor set intended for exclusive production of aplayhouse of fixed architectural design they may be omitted duringmanufacture.

Figs. 1 and 6 demonstrate the method of providing for a swinging door ina wall opening left for that purpose. At the hinge side of the door andwall opening, the connector tabs of all male units are engaged with thegrooves in the corresponding female units to serve as hinges. Male unitconnector tabs on all other edges of the door are severed therefrom, orbent inward (arrow).

lt is quite practicable to include in a matched set of units, for aparticular building structure which customariiy would have windows, anumber of transparent plastic units to t window areas instead of theusual opaque units.

Fig. 3 shows the manner in which the male and female units are movedinto their places in the roof under construction. All a child has to betaught to do is to t the units together in a base row and then to addsuccessive rows thereto by moving the female and male units intoengagement with alternate male and female units in the direction of thearrows. The female units in each instance should precede the male unitsas shown. When a male unit approaches a female unit, the connecter tabwhich is presented for engagement within the groove in the latter neednot be advanced with precise alignment, for the tapering side edges ofthe tab will be guided into that alignment by contact with adjacenttapering edges of the connector tabs of male units already assembled inthe building structure.

it should now be apparent that the act of mechanically fitting therespective male and female units together is so simple and easy that avery young child can accomplish it with very little preliminaryinstruction. However, the oriented axes of surface designs, bothexterior and interior, present a problem to be solved as the child avarices in experience and knowledge. By supplementing each constructorset with a booklet containing illustration ot` the particular structurefor which the set has been composed, or other structures which also maybe made therewith, any child with normal intelligence should be able towork out for himself the mode of assembly of units and in doing soderive considerable education in building processes. The possibilitiesfor valuable training are virtually unlimited.

Previously herein, the central lamina* 30 of the female constructor unithas been described as being square in outline and of such dimensionsthat each straight side thereof which constitutes a butt front is equalin length to the butt front constituted by each straight front edge ofeach connector tab of the male unit (also shown-in Figs. l through i7).While these structural limitations are very much preferred, it is withinthe scope of the invention to make some modifications which may bedictated by practice of the invention, such as those shown by way ofexample in Figs. 27, 28 and 29, and in Figs. 3l to 43 inclusive.

ln Fig. 27, the central lamina 3d' of the female unit is represented asbeing circular instead of square. Due to the specific isoscelestrapezoid form of the connector tabs of the male units, their taperedside edges will guide them into proper abutment with each other whenentering the marginal groove 34 of a female unit. The essentialrequirement is that the diameter of circular lamina 30' shall hesufficient to present a butt front which will meet the butt front of anyconnector tab of a male unit that is inserted in groove 3d of the femaleunit. Therefore, the diameter of circular separator 30 should be tion ofthe male units. Figs. 40 and 41 give an example of such alteration ofthe configuration of a female unit F by making it star-shaped, which isdecorative as well. Fig. 42 shows the combined effect of starshapedfemale units interspersed in an overall design wherein other femaleunits are square. Another variation in configuration of the female unitsfor the same purpose is illustrated in Fig. 43, wherein some of thefemale units are circular.

Fig. 44 depicts a string puppet stage constructed with mare and femaleunits of which some female units are star-shaped and others bear surfacedecoration to aford an artistic effect appropriate to a theatrical set.

Figs. 45 and 46 have been added to show two more kinds of playstructures which may be built with the improved constructor units. Atower building is represented in Fig. 45 and a boat in Fig. 46.

Employment of male units having diagonally opposed connector tabs bentin opposite directions, as illustrated in Fig. 7 and previouslydescribed herein, in the building of a wall having a lateral offsettherein is shown in Fig. 47.

It will be understood that it is intended to cover all changes andmodifications of the examples of the invention herein chosen for thepurpose of illustration which do not constitute departures from thespirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

A constructor set for building playhouses and other toy structurescomprising distinct interlockable platelike units of exclusively maleand exclusively female structures respectively, the female unit beingformed by two outer laminae of suitable marginal configuration andinterposed separator means uniting said outer laminae in an integralstructure with space therebetween to provide a recess opening marginallythrough all side edges of said unit, said separator means beingconstructed and arranged to provide outwardly presented butt frontsurfaces lying in the four sides of a square and located inlil ward ofthe side edges of the outer laminae, the male unit being constructed toprovide four equally spaced radially projecting connector tabs adaptedto enter the recess of a united female unit, each of said connector tabshaving forwardly tapering lateral abutment faces lying in adjacent sidesof a circumscribed imaginary square whose four corners angularly matchall four connector tabs, each male connector tab being provided with anoutwardly presented butt front surface arranged perpendicular to adiagonal of said circumscribed square for abutting contact with acooperating butt front surface area of a united female unit, wherebywhen four male units are united with a female unit there will be evenguiding contact between adjoining lateral abutment faces of all maleconnector tabs and limiting abutment between corresponding male andfemale butt front surfaces, an inscribed square area of each male unitwhich has its straight sides arranged at a fortyve degrees angle to thesides of said imaginary circumscribed square and its corners mediallyintersecting the sides of the latter square being suiiiciently thickerthan the connector tabs to make its flat exposed surfaces substantiallyush with the corresponding surfaces of a female unit joined to said maleunit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,403,196 Rasely Jan. 10, 1922 1,426,087 Metcalfe Aug. 15, 19221,706,696 Kohler Mar. 26, 1929 2,088,874 Schauer Aug. 3, 1937 2,150,707Anderson Mar. 14, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 23,769 Great Britain 1902 44,186Switzerland Dec. 19, 1908 90,329 Switzerland Aug. 16, 1921 1,002,582France Nov. 7, 1951

